KINGSTON (JAMAICA): Contradicting claims that details of a betting syndicate in his proposed book cost Bob Woolmer his life, co-authors and family members said the manuscript did not even touch on match-fixing.
Soon after Woolmer's death in a hotel room here, former Pakistani pacer Sarfraz Nawaz claimed the Pakistan coach was about to make some sensational revelations about match-fixing in his book and that cost him his life.
Woolmer's family and co-authors, however, dismissed the idea and sports scientist Tim Noakes said the manuscript did not delve into match-fixing.
"There is absolutely no truth in that story, besides, how could anyone know what's in the book, nobody in Pakistan could possibly have seen it," Professor Noakes was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.
"The only secret Bob was revealing in the book was how to coach cricketers properly," he said.
Further clarification came from a statement from Woolmer's family.
"'Discovering Cricket: The Art and Science of the Game' pulls together all the years of experience Bob gained coaching around the world as well as his own unique cricketing philosophies. Tragically, the final manuscript reached the West Indies the day after Bob died," they said.
Woolmer's autobiography ghost writer Ivo Tennant also told London's Sun newspaper there was 'nothing incriminating' in the manuscript.
"We were just in the early stages, but he never mentioned match-fixing," he said.
"As far as I know, we had no plans to include anything on the subject in the book, and I'm convinced he knew nothing about (Hansie) Cronje's activities even though he was coach at the time," he added.
